But Aren't There Other Alternatives? - Page 3

The good news is that there are alternatives, many cheaper than the traditional $35 per year for a domain name. The bad news is that these alternatives are pseudo TLDs and therefore not part of the root system operated by ICANN. That means they are not usable by most Internet users, even though users can download a browser plug-in to make them work in many instances.

Among them is one called New.net. More than price, it offers extensions more pertinent to everyday life, such as .inc, .sport, .kids, .agent, .church, .golf, .school, and .xxx among its 28 choices — .xxx? — Probably has something to do with Roman numerals, don't you think?

New.net uses a system to make its domain names work seamlessly with Internet users. At purchase time, you simply point the new name to your existing TLD. However, like other alternatives, those folks without the plug-in may not be able to see your site. That could be more than a few people.

The other problem is that when you make a request for a Web page, the request is forwarded to an ICANN server to determine what site it is that you want. If TLDs from several alternative sources are not a part of the ICANN database, problems could develop — such as one TLD pointing to two different sites.

But What About My Clients?

In a perfect world, choosing a domain name would be simple. Take the company name, slap .com behind it and that would be it. In reality, the process is much more time consuming in most cases.

Finding the right combination of words for a domain name is important, and some common sense needs to be used. It is best to avoid tricky spellings, puns, or obscure abbreviations when choosing a domain name. Too many hyphens are also not recommended. The practice of putting a vowel or a number before a name is all too common. For some reason, people think edomain.com or idomain.com is a good deal, but it is seen all too frequently and can cause confusion for your would-be visitors.

There are also sites that can be helpful to finding a good domain name. Domain Notes offers tons of information about domains, including all of the latest registrars and the features they provide. People interested in finding abandoned domains can go to Unclaimed Domains and, for a fee, subscribe to a weekly newsletter listing newly available domains.

There are also places that use wizards to help you formulate a domain name (hopefully not involving bacteria), such as Dotster.com's NameSpin. Yet another option is using a reseller, such as BuyDomains.com. A site called Domain Book is a broker for more than 100,000 names.

Another site for good information is DomainGuideBook.com, which offers a listing of dos and don'ts regarding the selection of a domain name.

I suggest spending some time before meeting with the client to go through and try an assortment of domain names. That way, when the client arrives, you have some definite possibilities to offer.

No doubt the client will not be real happy if unable to get the companyname.com, but taking the time to explain the facts can do a lot to help the client understand why he/she can't use the real company name and help them realize that you are doing the best possible job for them.

What Are Some Suggestions?

First, I guess Bill Gates could dip into petty cash and buy all of it and change the name to InterMicrosoftnet, doling out licenses for domain names with the price based on the number of people employed by the purchasing company.

Personally, I'd prefer it if it was done like it is for many secondary and primary schools. They have their domain name followed by the education level, state and country in which they are located. An example would be: http://www.jonesschool.edu.k-12.in.us. That tells us it is the domain of Jones School, grades kindergarten through high school, it's in Indiana, and it's in the United States.

Translated to all types of Web content sites — minus the grade level — and you could have the following:

mycompany.com.wa.us for one in Washington state
mycompany.com.in.us for one in Indiana
mycompany.com.tx.us for one in Texas

At that point, there would be three companies with the same initials, all satisfied customers. And, because they all have different DNS numbers, there would be no confusion. Further, you could have one for each state and Washington, D.C., plus all the various countries around the world. The only conflicts would occur when more than one company of the same name exists in the same state.

Theoretically, that would open the door for many, many more domain names, and allow companies of all size to have a better chance to get their own name involved in their domain name. Of course, there would have to be a rule that a business has to have facilities and operations in the state in which the domain name is applicable.

Currently, many companies register theirname.com, theirname.net, and theirname.org, just to keep someone else from getting it. It would make sense to prohibit that practice when it comes renewal time, giving other companies with similar names a chance for their own branding and, at the same time, provide the world with many more domain possibilities.

Further, ICANN could put a huge surcharge on any domain that is purchased by a person or company to which the domain name does not apply. Say, $3 million and two cats. At least then the field of would-be squatters would be considerably reduced.

Conclusion

Domain names are more important than many people realize. The investment of time, a reasonable amount of money, and a great amount of thought can provide a company with excellent branding and a leg up on the competition.

For Web developers, this is an excellent opportunity to show clients that you are willing to take extra steps to help them out and make the entire Web site purchasing process much better.

If the first choice of domain names is not available, then rather than rush into the next idea that pops into your head, take time to analyze your client's business, what they do, what they sell, and see if you can turn that into an even better name.

If not, keep in mind that my sales offer includes my domain name, a four-bedroom house, a truck, and two cats. Sounds like a gooddeal.com to me. Oh, darn. Someone already has that one, too.

Gone In 60 Seconds - Page 2
The (Domain) Name Game